Read a full match report of the Championship game between Hull City and
Southampton at the KC Stadium on Tuesday Mar 20 2012.

Three teams lead the way in the wrestle for automatic promotion to the Premier League. Which one will crack? It does not look like Southampton on the evidence of this away performance, in which their guile and quality brought an end to the 11-game unbeaten run of play-off aspirants Hull.

This trip to east Yorkshire should have been a test, with the home side’s defensive organisation having brought them nine clean sheets in 11 games before this fixture. But the likes of Adam Lallana and Jason Puncheon out wide – and the very presence of Rickie Lambert lurking in the centre – unsettled their back four and helped lay the platform for an own-goal by Jack Hobbs and close-range finish by Jos Hooiveld.

Although Southampton were by no means polished – they missed chances and were on the back foot for long periods – this performance was still a statement of intent.

Their incisive passing quickly

troubled Hull’s normally calm rearguard in the early stages. Puncheon was the first to unsettle them with a precise delivery from the right that Lambert met with a powerful header, which was blocked by Hull goalkeeper Vito Mannone.

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Hull’s defence were looking unusually uncomfortable and that uncertainty was exposed horribly, enabling Southampton to go in front: Danny Fox crossed from the left and a panicking Hobbs steered the ball into his own net.

The home side were fortunate not to be 2-0 behind when Jack Cork played in Lallana who was one-on-one with Mannone, rounded him but somehow managed to scuff his shot wide of an open goal.

Order needed to be restored by Hull, defensively, and they slowly refound their usual solidity as the first half wore on and began looking more dangerous. Hard-working Josh King let fly with another hard-hit shot from the edge of the 18-yard box, which struck the Southampton crossbar.

An even better chance was wasted by them when King slid the ball across to Robbie Brady who should have scored but lofted over from six yards. But at least they were letting the league leaders know about their own attacking threat.

Hull took the initiative at the start of the second half as King kept up his impressive display by forcing his way down the right flank before whipping in a cross that eluded the team-mates who were queuing up to finish.

That near miss was being rued when Southampton showed their counter-attacking class. Frazer Richardson found himself in an advanced position down the right and crossed towards the back post where Hooiveld was completely unmarked and guided the ball in from close range.

Nick Barmby’s side laboured on, sticking to their passing principles, but Southampton saw the game out with no further dramas, showing the sort of assuredness that could take them to glory come the end of the season.